Get 'Em While They're Hot!!!
It's finally shipping, the comp CD from my Home Recording board. I'm not on this, but a bunch of my pals are.
Please buy it? Please?
I'll post a review after mine shows up. I've got volume 1 - it's pretty darn good. I've heard snatches of this (VERY early Sunday morning at Jamfest, and I didn't know what I was listening to then), it was excellent - a lot of pro-sounding stuff.
Stay tuned. Both of you...
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
Friday, August 22, 2003
The haircut
Here's the result of my first barbershop visit in nearly 2 years:
Won't help my modeling career (ha!) but looks better than that jamfest photo below...
Won't help my modeling career (ha!) but looks better than that jamfest photo below...
Thursday, August 21, 2003
Tech News - CNET.com
David 1, Goliath 0 - Blows Against the (Evil) Empire
"When a machine gets too big, it doesn't know when it's stepping on ants. But every once in a while, you step on a red ant." - Ernie Ball Inc. CEO, Sterling Ball
If they made keyboard stuff, I'd buy it. If I **EVER** buy strings for my Epi 335 (I am SO not a guitarist) again, I'm buying Ernie Balls.
"When a machine gets too big, it doesn't know when it's stepping on ants. But every once in a while, you step on a red ant." - Ernie Ball Inc. CEO, Sterling Ball
If they made keyboard stuff, I'd buy it. If I **EVER** buy strings for my Epi 335 (I am SO not a guitarist) again, I'm buying Ernie Balls.
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
Try Before You Buy!!!
Miditech 49
I submitted this review to Musician's Friend - wonder if they'll use it:
I bought one of these based solely on the feature list - big mistake!!!
Though it plays well enough, the wheel and knob response times are so painfully slow that they are unuseable. At least 1/4 second delay on every pitch bend, every mod wheel move, every knob turn. Key touch is lame, but about like every other cheap controller - no worse than the Oxygen, for example. But the knobs are worthless...
Overall Rating: 2 out of 10 stars
I submitted this review to Musician's Friend - wonder if they'll use it:
I bought one of these based solely on the feature list - big mistake!!!
Though it plays well enough, the wheel and knob response times are so painfully slow that they are unuseable. At least 1/4 second delay on every pitch bend, every mod wheel move, every knob turn. Key touch is lame, but about like every other cheap controller - no worse than the Oxygen, for example. But the knobs are worthless...
Overall Rating: 2 out of 10 stars
Monday, August 18, 2003
Update: Racheloni's ABOUT page is now much improved...
How we dealt with the power thing
For once, we actually handled it! Yay for our new generator, which we paid way too much for back in the ice storm (February? March?). We cut back to lights, fridge, freezer, alarm clock, TV, a couple of fans, and the microwave - attempting to use the dryer browned us out - but it made for a bearable couple of days, and, for once, it didn't all end in throwing out a few hundred dollars worth of meat. The rest of the fam stayed at sis-in-law's in Davison MI - they kept their power the whole time. We figured Grandma wouldn't handle the heat well.
Other power failure related observations:
Never heard much about Lansing, where I work, from the Detroit and Port Huron radio stations I was listening to. Got sent home Thursday after the failure, and mistakenly assumed we wouldn't be working Friday, after I attempted to call the office and the phones were down, and then attempted to call an old team leader's cell, and got routed straight to his voicemail. Finally got a call about 11:30 asking if I was coming in, since we had a hot release we were working on. I made my apologies, and was in by 2:30. Turned out they'd had power all day, but the HP/Oracle system we were testing wasn't brought up until shortly before I got there - so hopefully no career damage.
Our closest gas station had gas, but an incredibly long line. The next town over, Imlay City, had full power, though, so I headed there. Real long lines at the first station, but the next one, run by a church friend of mine, was much better - got in and out in less than 1/2 hour. Was also able to buy ice, though if I'd have been 5 minutes later, it would have all been gone. I was real pleased to see no gouging going on - gas was $1.589, ice was $1.24 for a 7 lb. bag.
Had a family get-together Saturday night, decided to go out to dinner after - THAT was an adventure. Most restaurants were closed due to water quality issues - Finally went to Loon River in Sterling Heights, a wild game place. Our drinks were in styrofoam cups, we had paper plates, couldn't get veggies or pasta, no fountain pop. It was still fun, though. We felt sorry for the waitress, as portions of our family can be, um, difficult. So a bunch of us threw in extra $$ for a tip after our host paid and left. Hope it made up for the challenge we presented.
Oh yeah, and the haircut went as scheduled...
How we dealt with the power thing
For once, we actually handled it! Yay for our new generator, which we paid way too much for back in the ice storm (February? March?). We cut back to lights, fridge, freezer, alarm clock, TV, a couple of fans, and the microwave - attempting to use the dryer browned us out - but it made for a bearable couple of days, and, for once, it didn't all end in throwing out a few hundred dollars worth of meat. The rest of the fam stayed at sis-in-law's in Davison MI - they kept their power the whole time. We figured Grandma wouldn't handle the heat well.
Other power failure related observations:
Never heard much about Lansing, where I work, from the Detroit and Port Huron radio stations I was listening to. Got sent home Thursday after the failure, and mistakenly assumed we wouldn't be working Friday, after I attempted to call the office and the phones were down, and then attempted to call an old team leader's cell, and got routed straight to his voicemail. Finally got a call about 11:30 asking if I was coming in, since we had a hot release we were working on. I made my apologies, and was in by 2:30. Turned out they'd had power all day, but the HP/Oracle system we were testing wasn't brought up until shortly before I got there - so hopefully no career damage.
Our closest gas station had gas, but an incredibly long line. The next town over, Imlay City, had full power, though, so I headed there. Real long lines at the first station, but the next one, run by a church friend of mine, was much better - got in and out in less than 1/2 hour. Was also able to buy ice, though if I'd have been 5 minutes later, it would have all been gone. I was real pleased to see no gouging going on - gas was $1.589, ice was $1.24 for a 7 lb. bag.
Had a family get-together Saturday night, decided to go out to dinner after - THAT was an adventure. Most restaurants were closed due to water quality issues - Finally went to Loon River in Sterling Heights, a wild game place. Our drinks were in styrofoam cups, we had paper plates, couldn't get veggies or pasta, no fountain pop. It was still fun, though. We felt sorry for the waitress, as portions of our family can be, um, difficult. So a bunch of us threw in extra $$ for a tip after our host paid and left. Hope it made up for the challenge we presented.
Oh yeah, and the haircut went as scheduled...
Friday, August 15, 2003
Ridge: Power Outage May Be Result of Clandestine Connecticut Ritual
In a late breaking story, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge reported that investigators are uncovering a chain of events that may have caused yesterday's power outage. Little is known about the "Homewrecker" cult believed to be responsible, but a Connecticut gathering last weekend apparently caused a power drain that set off an eventual failure of the Northeast Power Grid in Niagara Falls, NY.
An unnamed spokesman for the agency claims that this scenario was actually discovered as a possible cause of failure several years ago, but can only happen when four guitarists on the same circuit all take solos at the same time, each with their gain set to an unreasonaby high level. The likelihood of any such event was dismissed as "laughable" by FEMA researchers at the time. When pressed for details, Ridge declined further comment "until we know more."
In a separate, but possibly related, series of events, investigators are trying to trace the movements of four of the cult members, whose paths traced the exact route of the failures. They were known to have left the cult gathering and ostensibly traveled through the soon-to-be-blacked-out states and provinces of Connecticut, New York, Ontario, and Michigan. Their names are not known, but they are believed to have traveled in two vehicles, and to use the aliases "The Rat", "The Duck", "The (crappy) Beetle", and "The Sheep-Boy". It is unclear at this time if their animal names are somehow related to the mysterious practices of the Connecticut cult.
The spokesman further stated that the cult member known as "The Rat" was at one time believed to have wielded a weapon nicknamed "The Zucchini". Although these travelers are only wanted for questioning at this time, they should be approached with caution, as they may still be armed. The spokesman also mentioned that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, after conferring with Ridge and his staff, was quoted as saying, "Let's make sure these boys get a fitting welcome at Guantanamo."
Copyright Faux News, 2003. All Rights Reserved.
In a late breaking story, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge reported that investigators are uncovering a chain of events that may have caused yesterday's power outage. Little is known about the "Homewrecker" cult believed to be responsible, but a Connecticut gathering last weekend apparently caused a power drain that set off an eventual failure of the Northeast Power Grid in Niagara Falls, NY.
An unnamed spokesman for the agency claims that this scenario was actually discovered as a possible cause of failure several years ago, but can only happen when four guitarists on the same circuit all take solos at the same time, each with their gain set to an unreasonaby high level. The likelihood of any such event was dismissed as "laughable" by FEMA researchers at the time. When pressed for details, Ridge declined further comment "until we know more."
In a separate, but possibly related, series of events, investigators are trying to trace the movements of four of the cult members, whose paths traced the exact route of the failures. They were known to have left the cult gathering and ostensibly traveled through the soon-to-be-blacked-out states and provinces of Connecticut, New York, Ontario, and Michigan. Their names are not known, but they are believed to have traveled in two vehicles, and to use the aliases "The Rat", "The Duck", "The (crappy) Beetle", and "The Sheep-Boy". It is unclear at this time if their animal names are somehow related to the mysterious practices of the Connecticut cult.
The spokesman further stated that the cult member known as "The Rat" was at one time believed to have wielded a weapon nicknamed "The Zucchini". Although these travelers are only wanted for questioning at this time, they should be approached with caution, as they may still be armed. The spokesman also mentioned that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, after conferring with Ridge and his staff, was quoted as saying, "Let's make sure these boys get a fitting welcome at Guantanamo."
Copyright Faux News, 2003. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, August 14, 2003
Almost Cut My Hair
In fact, I'm going to. Last straw.
It happened just the other day.
Yesterday, in fact - when I made the decision, anyhow. Appointment's this Saturday, 2pm.
It was gettin' kinda long.
But not quite long enough - it would always pull out of the scrunci - probably because the hair kept pulling out OF MY HEAD, especially in the shower.
Coulda said it was in my way.
The point was, I'm real busy, don't have lots of time for haircuts. The ponytail was supposed to be the easy solution - hair would pull back neatly, stay out of the way, no fuss, no muss. But it never worked out. So off it goes.
But I didn't...
But I WILL. Saturday. The name graytail (the blog, the studio) will still work, 'cos I'll save the tail and pin it on the studio wall. Right next to the Santana memorabilia Upstate Steve gave me.
In fact, I'm going to. Last straw.
It happened just the other day.
Yesterday, in fact - when I made the decision, anyhow. Appointment's this Saturday, 2pm.
It was gettin' kinda long.
But not quite long enough - it would always pull out of the scrunci - probably because the hair kept pulling out OF MY HEAD, especially in the shower.
Coulda said it was in my way.
The point was, I'm real busy, don't have lots of time for haircuts. The ponytail was supposed to be the easy solution - hair would pull back neatly, stay out of the way, no fuss, no muss. But it never worked out. So off it goes.
But I didn't...
But I WILL. Saturday. The name graytail (the blog, the studio) will still work, 'cos I'll save the tail and pin it on the studio wall. Right next to the Santana memorabilia Upstate Steve gave me.
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Rachel and her sisters (aka Racheloni and Cheese, aka She-Ra, aka Blog of Bored Housewives, aka Ssssisterssss) have moved, slightly. Fortunately, they left a forwarding address.
Rachel has also added a highly informative About page. Fascinating reading.
Rachel has also added a highly informative About page. Fascinating reading.
Monday, August 11, 2003
Back from the fest!
Someone (?) put a shot of me out there, looking decidedly unkempt, holding forth at the QS-8:
That's LISlim, C7sus, and Riley357 standing in the back. Can't make out who's seated. Thanks to Mr. Party Pants for posting it.
The fest was a great success, lotsa fellowship and food and JAMMIN'. We're already counting the days to next year.
There may eventually be some audio links. Watch this space.
Someone (?) put a shot of me out there, looking decidedly unkempt, holding forth at the QS-8:
That's LISlim, C7sus, and Riley357 standing in the back. Can't make out who's seated. Thanks to Mr. Party Pants for posting it.
The fest was a great success, lotsa fellowship and food and JAMMIN'. We're already counting the days to next year.
There may eventually be some audio links. Watch this space.
Thursday, August 07, 2003
Wednesday, August 06, 2003
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Listening List
Songlines mag - Going Global
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
and
Detroit - Featuring Mitch Ryder
Dunno if this one ever got past regional airplay, but what a smoker!!! Lotta covers, and not sure which if any tunes are originals, but who cares?? Great songs I've never heard elsewhere, like Long Neck Goose and It Ain't Easy (not the 3 Dog Night one - different tune), and excellent covers of Lou Reed's Rock 'n' Roll, and the Stones' Gimme Shelter. Probably WASN'T a good idea to let the other guys sing lead (bandmates include Jim McCarty and Johnny "The Bee" Badanjek), and a bit of filler, but still an excellent hard-rocking album. Sad this was their only one - Mitch is notoriously hard to work with. The other guys went on to form the Rockets - speaking of regional hits...
Songlines mag - Going Global
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
and
Detroit - Featuring Mitch Ryder
Dunno if this one ever got past regional airplay, but what a smoker!!! Lotta covers, and not sure which if any tunes are originals, but who cares?? Great songs I've never heard elsewhere, like Long Neck Goose and It Ain't Easy (not the 3 Dog Night one - different tune), and excellent covers of Lou Reed's Rock 'n' Roll, and the Stones' Gimme Shelter. Probably WASN'T a good idea to let the other guys sing lead (bandmates include Jim McCarty and Johnny "The Bee" Badanjek), and a bit of filler, but still an excellent hard-rocking album. Sad this was their only one - Mitch is notoriously hard to work with. The other guys went on to form the Rockets - speaking of regional hits...
Friday, August 01, 2003
Thursday, July 31, 2003
Listening List
Bought some $5.99 CD's for my wife, gave them a listen:
Stevie Nicks - Belladonna
Phil Collins - Hello, I Must Be Going
Joni Mitchell - Ladies of the Canyon
Joni Mitchell - Clouds
Actually the Jonis were for me - kinda chick flick territory, but reminds me of the girls I went to college with. And MAN is she a creative writer.
Here's a tiny review of something else:
Neil Young - Freedom
Another $5.99 buy - cheap at twice the price. Has two versions of "Rockin in the Free World", one acoustic, one electric - both rock! Other standout tracks include Crime Stories and Wrecking Ball. A wack version of On Broadway is more interesting than good, but if ya like Neil, you'll like this. Not a clinker on the album.
Bought some $5.99 CD's for my wife, gave them a listen:
Stevie Nicks - Belladonna
Phil Collins - Hello, I Must Be Going
Joni Mitchell - Ladies of the Canyon
Joni Mitchell - Clouds
Actually the Jonis were for me - kinda chick flick territory, but reminds me of the girls I went to college with. And MAN is she a creative writer.
Here's a tiny review of something else:
Neil Young - Freedom
Another $5.99 buy - cheap at twice the price. Has two versions of "Rockin in the Free World", one acoustic, one electric - both rock! Other standout tracks include Crime Stories and Wrecking Ball. A wack version of On Broadway is more interesting than good, but if ya like Neil, you'll like this. Not a clinker on the album.
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Listening List
Songlines mag - Going Global
Neil Young - Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young - Freedom
Deep Purple - Machine Head
BB King - Greatest Hits
and
Dusty Springfield - Am I the Same Girl
Continuing with the $5.99 discs - This is an Australian collection of Dusty's stuff. A lot of her greats - Windmills, Son of a Preacher Man, Stay Awhile, Breakfast in Bed, but missing classics like You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, Wishin' and Hopin', Brand New Me, and (!!!) The Look of Love. Also missing, but it doesn't bother me much, is Only Wanna Be With You.
In its place are some second rate tunes, which Dusty valiantly tries to rescue, and some cover tunes, of varying quality. "Am I the Same Girl" is brilliant - I was only familiar with the "Soulful Strut" instrumental version, and the cover from 10-15 years ago - I forget the band - sort of a Manhattan Transfer knockoff. "Piece of My Heart" took some warming up to, but her "white Aretha" take on it was pretty cool. Nothing can replace Janis' tears-n-sweat version, but this beats the hell out of Sammy's version, or Faith Hill's travesty.
"Sunny" was interesting - a fast jazz waltz, made it through all the lyrcs twice in like 1:45 or something - showed she could get convincingly jazzy, though. "Spooky" and "This Girl's in Love" suffered from unimaginative licks-off-the-record arrangements, and clumsy gender shifts, but her singing was still eminently musical. "Close To You" was borderline unlistenable, though - Dusty's silky voice and always-behind-the-beat phrasing just don't work for CTY.
If you're only going to buy one Dusty CD, buy the Ultimate Collection. If you're going to get a second one, get the Memphis Sessions. BUT --- if you only have $5.99 to spend, hurry down to Meijer's - this one is a great introduction to Dusty.
Songlines mag - Going Global
Neil Young - Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young - Freedom
Deep Purple - Machine Head
BB King - Greatest Hits
and
Dusty Springfield - Am I the Same Girl
Continuing with the $5.99 discs - This is an Australian collection of Dusty's stuff. A lot of her greats - Windmills, Son of a Preacher Man, Stay Awhile, Breakfast in Bed, but missing classics like You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, Wishin' and Hopin', Brand New Me, and (!!!) The Look of Love. Also missing, but it doesn't bother me much, is Only Wanna Be With You.
In its place are some second rate tunes, which Dusty valiantly tries to rescue, and some cover tunes, of varying quality. "Am I the Same Girl" is brilliant - I was only familiar with the "Soulful Strut" instrumental version, and the cover from 10-15 years ago - I forget the band - sort of a Manhattan Transfer knockoff. "Piece of My Heart" took some warming up to, but her "white Aretha" take on it was pretty cool. Nothing can replace Janis' tears-n-sweat version, but this beats the hell out of Sammy's version, or Faith Hill's travesty.
"Sunny" was interesting - a fast jazz waltz, made it through all the lyrcs twice in like 1:45 or something - showed she could get convincingly jazzy, though. "Spooky" and "This Girl's in Love" suffered from unimaginative licks-off-the-record arrangements, and clumsy gender shifts, but her singing was still eminently musical. "Close To You" was borderline unlistenable, though - Dusty's silky voice and always-behind-the-beat phrasing just don't work for CTY.
If you're only going to buy one Dusty CD, buy the Ultimate Collection. If you're going to get a second one, get the Memphis Sessions. BUT --- if you only have $5.99 to spend, hurry down to Meijer's - this one is a great introduction to Dusty.
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Old listening list is gone from the sidebar. In its place are song links. I believe these are set up for real audio right now - send me a note if you have trouble listening. If you're on dialup, you'll probably want lo-fi. Otherwise, hi-fi probably sounds better.
Anyhow, today is Alyssa's birthday - she's 2. Baby Baby Girl was written for her soon after she was born - give it a listen. Happy birthday, Alyssa!
Old listening list is gone from the sidebar. In its place are song links. I believe these are set up for real audio right now - send me a note if you have trouble listening. If you're on dialup, you'll probably want lo-fi. Otherwise, hi-fi probably sounds better.
Anyhow, today is Alyssa's birthday - she's 2. Baby Baby Girl was written for her soon after she was born - give it a listen. Happy birthday, Alyssa!
Monday, July 28, 2003
Updated listening list
Prince - Very Best of
Pink Floyd and Friends - Interstellar Overdrive
Dusty Springfield - Am I the Same Girl?
Yes - Classic Yes
James Brown - Greatest Hits
Alison Krauss and Union Station - In Concert
Van Morrison - Brown-Eyed Girl
and
Wishbone Ash - Their Greatest Hits
Except for Prince and Krauss, all the above were in the $5.99 bin at Meijers. So I was willing to take some chances. I remembered nothing about Wishbone Ash except that I bought my brother an album for his 14th (or so) birthday, I used to like them, and they did a lot of twin guitar harmonies. It's been 25 or 30 years though...
...and boy, what a difference 30 years makes. Ecch. Sort of like Grand Funk meets Uriah Heep, but with even triter lyrics and even worse vocals. Musicianship wasn't really there, either. It was a chore to listen. The best moments were barely okay, the worst were embarrassingly bad. All live, too - no (or few, anyhow) studio cuts. Stay away!
Prince - Very Best of
Pink Floyd and Friends - Interstellar Overdrive
Dusty Springfield - Am I the Same Girl?
Yes - Classic Yes
James Brown - Greatest Hits
Alison Krauss and Union Station - In Concert
Van Morrison - Brown-Eyed Girl
and
Wishbone Ash - Their Greatest Hits
Except for Prince and Krauss, all the above were in the $5.99 bin at Meijers. So I was willing to take some chances. I remembered nothing about Wishbone Ash except that I bought my brother an album for his 14th (or so) birthday, I used to like them, and they did a lot of twin guitar harmonies. It's been 25 or 30 years though...
...and boy, what a difference 30 years makes. Ecch. Sort of like Grand Funk meets Uriah Heep, but with even triter lyrics and even worse vocals. Musicianship wasn't really there, either. It was a chore to listen. The best moments were barely okay, the worst were embarrassingly bad. All live, too - no (or few, anyhow) studio cuts. Stay away!
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